[seqfan] Re: Bad sequences for passwords

Alonso Del Arte alonso.delarte at gmail.com
Sun Mar 25 20:07:32 CEST 2012


Oh yeah, that is a nuisance. I have a special password for websites that I
know will e-mail me the password in plaintext. Worse that can happen is
that they'll start entering dollar bills into WheresGeorge.com without me
knowing about it.

Fortunately the OEIS is not like that. However, I will admit that my
passwords for OEIS Main and OEIS Wiki are exactly the same, even though I
could theoretically make them different.

Al

On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 1:39 PM, Maximilian Hasler <
maximilian.hasler at gmail.com> wrote:

> > Of course passwords must be not only finite, but short. But Chris
> > nevertheless makes a good point about hiding in plain sight. If hackers
> are
> > busy thinking my password is my dog's name, they might not think to try
> the
> > first few odd-indexed prime numbers (A031368 <http://oeis.org/A031368>)
> or
> > maybe even the Fibonacci numbers.
>
> a "short" password with only digits is cracked much easier
> than a password of the same length having upper & lowercase letters
> and digits and maybe some among a restricted subset of symbols...
>
> OTOH, your password may be as good as possible, but
> as long as many websites send back your password in plain text (argh!!),
> about any employee taking care of the computers at the enterprise(s)
> storing your mails (may be where you work or at gmail or hotmail etc
> and maybe also at your ISP, not to speak anyone who succeeded in
> spoofing your network and/or putting some malware on your computer)
> can read it...
>
> In particular, in case you use the so-called "find friends" function
> on any of the social or professional network web sites (or worse, you
> use the same password there than for your mailbox), that website (and
> emplyees there) also can read your password in plain text...
>
> Just to say...
>
> Maximilian
>
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>



-- 
Alonso del Arte
Author at SmashWords.com<https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AlonsoDelarte>
Musician at ReverbNation.com <http://www.reverbnation.com/alonsodelarte>



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